Lemont Park District Plans Virginia Reed Park Celebration

The Lemont Park District will celebrate the re-opening of Virginia Reed Park with a dedication ceremony Tuesday.

The event will be held at 6:30 p.m. at the park, 51 E. Eureka Drive, and will feature ice cream and storytime.

Virginia Reed Park, known to residents as the "Choo-Choo Train Park," underwent a series of upgrades this summer. The park features a new playground, a swingset, a shelter, paved pathways and a giant stationary toy train.

Virginia Reed Community Playground opened in June 1948 after several Lemont moms came together to build a neighborhood park for their children. The group, which came to be known as the Singer-Warner Mothers Club, cleared the land, raised funds and purchased teeter-totters, a sandbox, horizontal bars and a slide.

The park was named in memory of the club's first president, Virginia Dillman Reed, who spearheaded the efforts to build a neighborhood play area for kids.

The Singer-Warner Mothers Club continued to oversee the playground for 30 years, during which the playground continued to grow and be recognized as one of the best in suburban Cook County, according to the Lemont 125th Anniversary Book. 

The Lemont Park District took ownership of the park in 1978 after increasing insurance and repair costs became too great for the club. The park district board renamed the site "Virginia Reed Park," and new equipment was installed.

The park was totally renovated in 1989 with its current train theme. The site received new play equipment, a shelter, tricycle path and landscaping. 

Also on Tuesday: